Storytelling is using characters, experiences, and ideas to educate, share traditions, trigger emotions, and instill values. The story should be told in a way that people can relate, be interested, or entertained.
A simple story shared is meant to move the audience to action or inspire interest. We tell stories every day when we talk about work, school, family, and many other things that happen in our lives. Throughout time, storytelling has been a tool used to pass morals and traditions from generation to generation within families and communities. It is really an art form used to persuade your audience. Since stories primarily come from experiences, humans learn more through sharing these experiences with others. Stories can be about anything, but should have some element of realism in order to be believable.
8 Steps to tell a story using video
1. Know your audience
Know who and where your audience is so you can fine tune the story to fit them. This ensures your audience will understand your story. Think about the culture and knowledge level of your audience before you start.
2. Start with your ending
Think of your ending first. Then build your story towards that ending. Make sure your story follows a logical pattern, from beginning to end. However, some advise you to start your stories at the end, and then work your way up to that point using flashbacks, like you sometimes see in movies. Either way works, but the later takes away the surprise of the ending. The surprise is in “how” the ending came about.
3. Make sure your story is relatable
Your story can be fictional or non-fictional. However, it should include some element of realism so that you audience can relate to the story. Everyone can relate to life, family, health, love, and money.
The two major relatable ingredients are human and narrative elements. The human element is a person(s) who is the main character(s) and whom your viewers can relate to. The narrative element combines a storyline of what happens with the character(s), and a plot.
4. Delivery
The way you present your story can grab the attention of your audience throughout. This depends largely on the way you deliver your words. One thing we learn from movies and books is that we must keep our audience yearning for more. We can create situations where the hero is weak, but becomes stronger as challenges are overcome. We root for the hero, agonize over his problems, and are overcome with excitement and happiness when the hero saves the day.
Think through the structure. The three-act structure is a classic way of storytelling. Act one sets up the story and introduces the characters. We see the character’s world as it is, and then something changes it, the inciting incident. Act two is the conflict. Something has changed the character’s world. The characters have been handed a problem they’re inclined to fix or a goal they’re inclined to achieve. The middle part of the story is where we watch the characters go after the solution to their problem or reach that goal. The trick is they don’t succeed at first. We watch them try over and over until finally they either succeed or fail and learn something. Most stories rise in complication through Act two. The obstacles get tougher and more dangerous. That’s the rising tension or rising action. It’s pushing us toward a resolution. Act three is the resolution or the end. Finally, our characters succeed by solving their problem or meeting their goal, or they don’t in the case of an unhappy ending. It is okay for a character to ultimately fail but still have resolution by learning something. The character will reach a new point in their lives, or a new status quo.
If you’re trying to keep your video short, you can go for the two-act structure: Act one introduces the problem; Act two provides the solution. You can also come up with your own structure that works best for whatever idea you have in mind. If you decide to create a series of videos, keep them consistent by using the same structure for each.
5. Add vivid images to illustrate your story
Art can add so much to a story. You can give life to characters through words, but it helps if your reader or audience can see the characters too. You can also add backgrounds to set the scene, or where the character is. Apply creativity to make your videos memorable. Come up with original ideas, experiment, choose unusual ways to get your message across.
6. It must be engaging
Your story should be engaging. When your audience is engaged by a story, they easily relate to the story and automatically look forward to a happy ending. When you have only a few minutes to tell a story, it is important to focus on one main message that you want to deliver in the video. Too many messages is confusing in a short video.
When you only have a few minutes to tell a story, you need something that grabs the attention of your viewers and prompts them to stay tuned. Don’t be afraid to use metaphors or leave an open ending.
7. It should be persuasive
A story should be persuasive in nature. Make your audience feel with the characters in your story, or the message you are trying to get across.
A good story also has to bring out emotions. Emotions drive our lives. They make us feel, and that’s what you want your video to do.
8. You should love the story
The stories that connect with people the most are those that the creators love and want to share. We are drawn to the author’s passion that emanates from their writing. If you are excited about the story, then people will feel that and love your story.
Storytelling has a unique power to persuade and motivate. Write stories that stimulate the brain of the audience. Add art to illustrate the story and add to the entertainment value.
Sharing stories is always relevant and appealing to people of all ages. That’s why it has endured for thousands of years.
The three act format really works. It’s driven by cause and effect, and we connect to that. It’s how we think. You can’t go wrong if you build your story with a clear beginning, middle and end. Adding subplots will likely confuse your audience. Those only work in novels and movies. You don’t want that in a short video. The best rule is to keep it simple.
Pixar sums this up simply: “Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.”
I am working on some longer video stories.
Lamar, Cyriaque, The 22 Rules of Storytelling according to Pixar, 6/8/2012, https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-22-rules-of-storytelling-according-to-pixar-5916970